Table of Contents
CONNECT WITH US

Midwifery:
Client-Focused Holistic Care

What is Midwifery? 

Midwifery is a field of healthcare that focuses on providing personalized care for birthing people with low-risk, healthy pregnancies. Throughout history, midwives have delivered babies and provided compassionate care to their clients. 

midwifery_landingpage_heroimage-1


What Do Midwives Do? 

Midwives play a significant role during the childbearing years. They provide care from preconception, throughout pregnancy, during labor and birth, and postpartum care after birth. They are specialists in low-risk pregnancies (which most people have) and low-intervention births.

These health professionals guide families and communities throughout the perinatal and postpartum period, using their training and knowledge to answer questions, provide comprehensive care, and champion birthing people and their support systems throughout far more than just the actual birth. 

Midwives complete intensive training in clinical settings and through coursework to earn their credentials. This prepares them to provide safe and evidence-based care and help families make informed decisions about their care in different health settings.

A black and white photo of a group of people looking at a baby.

Midwife vs OBGYN vs Doula: What’s the Difference? 

The differences between healthcare professionals in the reproductive sphere can be hard to see, so we’ve broken down the main responsibilities of each role.

Doula

A group of women sitting on the floor and talking to each other.
  • Provide physical, emotional, and informational support throughout the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience 
  • Don’t deliver babies or provide medical care

Midwife

A pregnant woman is holding a device while sitting on a bed.
  • Manage low-risk pregnancies
  • Deliver babies in hospitals, birth centers, and homes
  • Offer alternative deliveries like water births
  • Work with clients to create a care plan for when issues arise 

OBGYN

AdobeStock_489957097@2x-1
  • Manage high-risk pregnancies and known medical issues
  • Deliver babies in a hospital 
  • Perform surgical interventions such as C-sections

How Do You Become a Midwife? 

Becoming a midwife requires intense educational and experiential preparation, learning, and commitment to improving reproductive and sexual healthcare. Midwives must complete coursework for their programs and also participate in clinical rotations where they interact with real clients and come to understand what their day-to-day responsibilities will look like in this role. Individuals can become Certified Professional Midwives (CPM), Certified Midwives (CM) or Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM). 

Becoming a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) requires all the above steps and passing the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam to receive the CPM credential. The exam tests a midwife’s knowledge and skills across all aspects of midwifery care. 

CPMs must re-certify every three years by verifying continuing education and participating in quality improvement activities. Pursuing a certification in midwifery requires demonstrating competence in providing safe, knowledgeable care to birthing people before, during, and after pregnancy and childbirth. CPMs can only apply for a license in certain states, but CNMs can practice in all 50 states. 


What Are the Advantages of Becoming a Midwife?

There are many professional and personal advantages to becoming a midwife. First, midwives are involved in direct client care, helping build trusting relationships throughout the prenatal period. 

Midwives are also invited into sacred spaces with their clients, from the joys of learning they’re expecting to the emotional difficulties and milestones that can arise in pregnancy, childbirth and beyond the childbearing years. Through this close, trusting relationship, midwives can provide a holistically positive birthing experience, offering a better model of care that produces improved outcomes for families. 

Take Your Next Steps with Bastyr

pencil icon

Start Your Midwifery Application

Are you ready to take the next step to a fulfilling career in Midwifery?

Apply Now
pencil icon

Start Your MCHS Application

Ready to take the next step in your Maternal-Child Health career?

Apply Now
calendar icon

Schedule a Meeting with Admissions

Have questions? Our admissions advisors are here to help.

Schedule a Meeting